Four Sun Media employees lost their jobs when the Jasper Booster in Alberta closed this week after 46 years of community news, says former staffer Tim Shoults.
The weekly Sun Media paper in scenic Jasper closed Wednesday, one of two in the province shuttered by Quebecor this week.
"The story and valedictory articles from staff are on the website at www.jasperbooster.com," Shoults says in an e-mail.
Brigitte Petersen, Jasper Booster editor, said her goodbyes in a column, as did publisher Sonia Germain and Jean Hannaford, front office manager.
Kudos to Canoe.ca for the online goodbyes, a classy way for laid off employees to bow out of a padlocked newspaper.
No such words at the Morinville/Redwater/Town & Country Examiner, closed this week.
The weekly Sun Media paper in scenic Jasper closed Wednesday, one of two in the province shuttered by Quebecor this week.
"The story and valedictory articles from staff are on the website at www.jasperbooster.com," Shoults says in an e-mail.
Brigitte Petersen, Jasper Booster editor, said her goodbyes in a column, as did publisher Sonia Germain and Jean Hannaford, front office manager.
Kudos to Canoe.ca for the online goodbyes, a classy way for laid off employees to bow out of a padlocked newspaper.
No such words at the Morinville/Redwater/Town & Country Examiner, closed this week.
Rumour from the Yellowhead County Sun Media group (of which the Jasper Booster was a part of) has the Mayerthorpe Freelancer closing too and reporters and sales reps working from home by April.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, Sonia, Jean and Brigitte were amazing ladies, and were really getting the Booster back into a position of respect in the community.
ReplyDeleteAnd I may be incredibly wrong, but I thought Mayerthorpe was told they would be done out of Whitecourt back on Black Tuesday, anyway.
I'm the Publisher of the Valemount newspaper next door to Jasper. These are certainly trying times in our industry and seeing any newspaper close is never good for our industry especially when it is a great publication with a rich history. I wish the best for the staff and their families.
ReplyDeleteShawn Alain
Publisher
The Valley Sentinel Newspaper
As a former Booster staffer, I'm saddened to see the paper close. Sun Media's decision to move most of the paper's operations to nearby Hinton as a cost-saving measure opened the door for a rival paper, The Fitzhugh, to open and prosper.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to the laid off staff.